Mel's daughter tells her to "let them" when Mel tries to stop her son from wearing new sneakers to prom despite rain. That moment shifts Mel from controlling her kids to letting them learn from their own choices. Two words that changed how she parents.
So Mel is, among many things, a great storyteller, and she tells the story of her son who's going to prom. And apparently he's all decked out, he's got these new sneakers, and he decides he's gonna go to some taco stand or something with his friends, and it's raining outside, so they're gonna get rained on in his new shoes. And she's like, you can't do that. First of all, what are you doing? Why are you going there? And it's gonna rain, it's gonna ruin your shoes. And she's getting all worked up about it, and her son's like, dude, I'm just gonna go, I'm gonna have a great time. Then her daughter told Mel Let them. Let them do what they want to do. It isn't that big of a deal. Quit making it a big deal, and it's his problem, not your problem. Let them. She just— something clicked for her, and she said, "Oh gosh, let them."
